The Unknowing War (Optimum Project sequel)

Chapter 14

Getting a handle on things

I woke up sometime later, exhausted from the events of yesterday, I had lost consciousness while Tom had nanites heal me. I looked at my internal chronometer, I had slept for... Four hours. It was now 0300 in the morning... Yeah, I never do get enough sleep do I?

I looked around the engineering room, the lights were now off, probably because I hadn't moved since I fell asleep and the computer thought this room was empty.

I called out a command, "lights," I shouted into the darkness.

The lights came on and I blinked a few times, my eyes were nanite enhanced, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt when a bright light turned on. I rubbed them and looked around, workbenches were all strewn with tools and projects at various stages of completion, and crates along one wall were labeled with recently developed projects awaiting approval for mass-production.

"What are we going to do Tom?" I asked wearily.

"Elaborate?" He asked.

"What are we going to do about this mutiny? What can we do?"

"My skills are in logic and reasoning, not advanced problem solving such as you require for this situation."

I sighed, "it's never easy is it?"

"Easy is just a human concept, all problems have a solution." He replied.

I grunted and reached over and into a backpack I had left down here after I decided to explore the ship, inside I had packed some food, water, a spare pistol and my omnitool. I grabbed a dried fruit bar, it looked and tasted like leather but it was breakfast so I got it over with.

I was just about to check the crates when something dawned on me.

I had turned on the lights.

By design, the Titan's computer system could pinpoint unauthorized energy usage.

I told Daisy exactly where I am.

I dived back for my pack and rolled into position with my weapon just as the first teargas canister flew in and detonated.

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Here's the thing about teargas, it's good for crowds in open spaces, not so much for enclosed space ships, even if it's as big as the Titan. Here's why:

For the most part in an open space the teargas displaces air that's there, it disperses and effects multiple people and that's why it's good for crowd control.

On the other hand, a spaceship has pressure controlled rooms, that's why the whole thing doesn't crumple like a tin can when there's a hull breach. It also means teargas doesn't disperse through the air like usual, it kind of coalesces into a cloud.

My would be assailants were obviously never educated to this fact.

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I switched my vision over to infrared (perks of nanite enhanced eyes) and counted six guys in sad masks.

"Well now, that's a little unfair."

"Indeed, the odds are obviously not in their favor."

I ducked back behind my cover and checked the ammo in my pistol, I had five rounds, Of course I do.

I sighed quietly, like I said earlier, nothing is easy.

"Let's just get this over with." I thought.

I stood up and took aim at one of the Sad Masks, they must have been able to filter gasses because four of the six were walking directly through the cloud of tear gas.

Just as one of them noticed me I pulled the trigger. I saw the leading Sad Mask go down as I ducked back into cover, and immediately the others took cover around various benches and works tables. I had four bullets left.

I switched cover and moved to a manufacturing desk, just as I got settled in a barrage of gunfire from one of the closer Sad Masks came my way and I had to hunker behind the solid metal to avoid taking a bullet.

I took a deep breath and peeked around the edge of the desk, one Sad Masks had taken up cover behind a metal workbench covered in tool boxes of various sizes, but the one I was particularly looking at had oh-so intellectually taken cover behind some dihydrogen peroxide and a fuel canister.

"Are these guys even trained?"

"Apparently not, considering that humans poor choice of cover."

"I concur."

I popped out and took a potshot at the fuel canister, and this wasn't gasoline. The stuff the Titan uses is far more volatile, the minute the bullet hit the can, all of the canisters broke open and doused the guy. He fell over screaming and writhing in pain as the dihydrogen peroxide soaked his skin.

"Next?"

I had taken up cover again as the remaining four Sad Masks attempted yet again to shoot me while I thought out my plan, if only I had...

"Tom, I'm sick of this dumb fight, and I've got a crazy stupid idea."

-----------------------A/N----------------------

I'm sooooooooooooo sorry this is late. And short. And a cliffhanger...

Basically I'm sorry.